268 



THE ORCHID WORLD. 



[September, 1915. 



Oncidium Leopoldianum. 



ONCIDIUM CORYNEPHORUM 

 AND O. LEOPOLDIANUM. 



THERE are two elegant Oncidiums that 

 have come into prominence during 

 the last year or so, one is O. 

 corynephorum and the other O. Leopold- 

 ianum. It is more than likely that they grow 

 m the same locality, for both have appeared 

 in an importation of plants received from 

 Moyambambo, Peru. Although the habit of 

 growth and the formation of the flowers 

 shows respectively a great similarity, the two 

 accompanying illustrations depict a marked 

 difference in the construction of the labellum, 

 by which each species may be identified. It 

 is at present impossible to say whether any 



natural hybrids exist, and even if already 

 imported some time may be required before 

 they are discovered, as both species are 

 notoriously difficult to cultivate, at least, so 

 far as their flowering is concerned. 



O. corynephorum has by far the longest 

 history, having been described by Lindley 

 about the year 1838, from a specimen 

 collected by Matthews in Peru. O. Leopold- 

 ianum was introduced by Linden in 1890, 

 and dedicated to Leopold II., King of the 

 Belgians. In both species the spikes are 

 several feet in length and bear numerous 

 whitish flowers more or less stained and 

 freckled with rose, the labellum coloured with 

 varying shades of purple. 



O. corynephorum was exhibited at the 



